Did you know that from the top of Mount Diablo, you can see more area than anywhere else in the world except for Mount Kilimanjaro? Well, that’s what they say. Mount Diablo is that prominent mountain Davisites see whenever we gaze south.

At 3,348 feet, it is the highest peak in the Bay Area and a classic bike ride. It isn’t all that difficult since the grade is mostly gentle except for the last 200 yards, which is devilishly steep. To turn Diablo into a real challenge, one must do it twice in the same day. Start on the north side, climb to the top, descend down the south side, and then reverse the route. It turns out to be about 7,000 feet of climbing in 40 miles. Now that’s a challenge.

Here’s how to do it. Drive to Martinez and then … what’s that you say? You’re a Davis cyclist. You are morally opposed to driving a car in order to take a bike ride. Excellent! Take Amtrak! It’s an easy trip to Martinez, and you get to be smug about not driving a car. That alone is worth the $30 round-trip ticket.

From the Martinez Amtrak station, ride on Pacheco Boulevard to Walnut Creek. It’s not the best cycling in the world, but there are bike lanes a good part of the way. You’ll need to consult a map to find the best place to cross the freeway. You are looking for Northgate Road. From Martinez Amtrak to the Northgate entrance of Mount Diablo is 15 miles.

There are many squirrels as you make your way up the mountain. On the ascent, they are relatively cute. On the descent, they aren’t because they like to run across your path, causing you to curse them. Halfway up, there are restrooms and water at the ranger station.

As you make your way up the mountain, you will see the lighthouse on the top that has been turned into a visitors’ center. As I said earlier, the grade is not bad, except for the very end. When you see the overflow parking lot, shift down into the little chainring if you’ve got one because you’ll need it, for you will not want to get off and push for the final surge to the top.

If you’re lucky, you’ve picked a clear day and can see west through the Golden Gate to the Farallon Islands. Looking east, you may pick up Half Dome. You might even pick up Davis as you gaze north. Don’t stay too long, though, for hopefully you’ll be up again.

The descent down Diablo is sublime with its banked curves and longish straightaways. No matter how fast you descend, I can almost guarantee there will be someone passing you. At the ranger station, turn left and go down the south side of the park past Rock City and the entrance booth. When you begin to pass a few houses, there will be the park border. U-turn there and head back up.

My guess is at this point you will begin to notice your aching knees and/or tight shoulders. Ignore your aches. You are a tough Davis rider. For some reason, the second time up seems steeper. Now at the top, you can relax and know that while the other riders up there are congratulating themselves on a tough climb, you’ve essentially lapped them.

Time to come down (watch out for squirrels) and cycle to Amtrak. Total mileage: 70. Time: If you are fast, 4 1/2 hours. If you are a regular human, probably around six. If you need more specific info, drop me an email at [email protected].

Enjoy!

— Matt Biers-Ariel and Mont Hubbard are co-editors of the Davis Bicycles! column, published every other week in The Davis Enterprise. To offer a Davis Bicycles! column, write to them at [email protected] or log on to www.bikedavis.info to see instructions for authors.

Comments

comments